Bronwyn Losey, Founding Director and Teacher

Bronwyn lives just outside of Ithaca in the house she grew up in. She has lived in many places and knows how lucky she is to be able to come back home. She holds a master’s degree in early childhood development from the University of Rochester, and a bachelor’s degree in intercultural studies and social change from Ithaca College. She began teaching in early childhood in 2002 and volunteering with Ithaca Welcomes Refugees in 2015. As the founding director of Global Roots Play School she feels honored by the trust families put in us. Her passion is watching children form relationships and watching their curiosity run wild.

“There is so much to learn from children when you move at their pace and let them take the lead.”

Molly Alexander, Assistant Director and Teacher

Molly has been a teacher since 2009 and has taught in New York City and in France. Here in Ithaca, Molly has been part of the Global Roots team since we first opened in 2017, and has consulted at Family Reading Partnership as an early childhood specialist since 2018. Molly has a master’s degree in early childhood general and special education from Bank Street College of Education and a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Wesleyan University. She has completed additional courses in trauma-informed care, strengths based parenting communication skills, and social work. Molly has been a presenter at the Nordic-American Early Childhood Symposium and the Refugee and Immigrant Families Program at Sarah Lawrence College. Molly loves supporting young children and families as they grow. Her most valuable learning has come from the children and families she has had the privilege to work with, and from being a parent.

Stephanie Muñoz, Teacher

Stephanie is a New York born Ecuadorian who loves to teach and play. She has worked with children and their families for over 20 years starting as a nanny and babysitter before transitioning to formal education roles. From homeschooling tutor to teacher to comfort room coordinator, her focus is on creating safe spaces for children to express themselves and their individual needs. From her varied experience, she has learned that a holistic approach is necessary to help a child develop the social, emotional and psychological skills needed to fully thrive, grow and learn. Stephane loves nature, plants, food, music, travel, languages, arts and crafts and is excited to share these passions with the Global Roots community. Stephanie studied in Ecuador for a few years and speaks fluent Spanish and basic French. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Binghamton University and has experience with restorative justice and trauma-informed care from her years as an educator in Brooklyn. She feels privileged to have played a role in so many children’s lives and is eager to get to know her new community!

Helen Wang, Assistant Teacher

Helen is from China, she has been in Ithaca for almost three years, and has been a student of Open Door English School until now. She has two children and she and her family love Ithaca very much. They will always stay in Ithaca in the future. She has a college degree in computer science in China and a certificate as an intermediate nursery teacher and four years of experience teaching preschool education. She loves working with children and is a hard-working and patient person. Her hobbies are cooking, baking, gardening, fishing, volunteering etc.

Samiya Aziz, Assistant Teacher

I am Samiya Aziz from India. I have done my Bachelor’s of Technology in Electronics and Communications. I am also pursuing Bachelor’s in Education. Before moving to Ithaca (September-2022) I was working as a teacher in India. I taught computer science to primary school kids. It is there I explored my passion for teaching and would like to pursue my career in this field. Besides teaching, I like reading and photography. I like to explore new places and meet people.

I am excited to join and work with all the learned teachers at Global Roots Play School.